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Uninsured driving costs motorists £530m

Uninsured drivers cost UK motorists £550m a year, according to an analysis of the Motor Insurers’ Bureau’s figures.

Price comparison site Comparethemarket, which performed the analysis, claims that UK drivers are paying an average of £31 a year more on their insurance to cover for those who are uninsured.

The price comparison site has also commissioned research from YouGov that shows 87% of respondents believed the government was not doing enough to stop people driving without insurance and have called for tougher penalties.

The average fine for those caught driving without insurance is £250, amounting to a small percentage of an annual motor insurance premium.

Comparethemarket head of insurance Jeremy Moll said: “One way the government can help cut insurance premiums is to take action to reduce the number of illegal drivers on Britain’s roads and that has to be through more severe penalties.

“If the number of illegal drivers decreases then the industry will have more flexibility in pricing policies for law abiding motorists.

“At present motor policies are hit by the knock-on effect of uninsured drivers and the financial implications they create; so any steps to deter uninsured drivers would be a move in the right direction.”

Ashton West, chief executive of the Motor Insurers’ Bureau, said: “It’s clear that any deterrent to the problem of uninsured drivers in the UK would be welcome.

“It’s a major problem in this country and it’s an unfortunate consequence that legal drivers have to bear the cost of this type of crime.

“Awareness of the potential penalties needs to be increased so it makes drivers think twice before taking to the roads uninsured.”

The research also showed that 68% of motorists involved in an accident with an uninsured driver had to incur liability and either pay for the incident themselves (19%) or claim on their own insurance (49%).

The YouGov poll surveyed 2,016 adults in May this year and the findings weighted to be representative of the adult British population.